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AN ANALYSIS ON THE ECONOMIC IMPLICATION

OF DECISION-MAKING DEPENDING ON RELIGION

Introduction:

Decisions are made with each and every act that we do. May it be in our hardest times of

life and death, or to the simplest circumstances we face, giving judgment is inevitable. Making a

choice is significant in our daily lives for it is what guides us today and what hones us for our

future. Having been granted the power to make an option, it takes one to consider such factors

that will affect his or her conclusion and one of which would be religion. Since the old times,

religion has been a barrier to create decisions. Economically speaking, these decisions had

influenced our lifes and countrys events.

Decisions being made are some of the times being affected by an individual or by a

groups judgments. Just as said, the economic implication of decision- making depending on

religion has been differentiated since the era of the crusades, religion and economic (and

political) settlements separated since the end of 30 yrs war. The war on lands and who to be

killed were bargained by religion, the Catholics and the Protestants. They were to follow what

their leaders and their religious books have stated showing their faith and loyalty to their own

religions. Creating such adjudications back then has had their own share of pros and cons. After

some time, religious and economical decisions were separated to stand on their own, having no

conflicts in between them. In the Philippines, religion is one of the top priorities and highest

regards of each individual when. As examples of the resolutions made by the religious beliefs on
todays culture would be banning international artists concerts, such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga,

here in the Philippines, emphasizing their liberality and satanic representations in their

performances. Now the big resolution to be made would be for the implementation and

succession of the RH bill, for Catholics they would be against this while for Muslims and

Protestants most would be for it. This research is to show the other decisions being made with

the factor of religion being in conflict with it and to present the different factors of each religion

that may contribute to a conflict of interest for which decision making is necessary.

Statement of the problem:

Knowing of the vast diversity of religions that the Philippine citizens have, we face possible

socio- economic problems regarding this. The following statement of the problem were given:

1. What are the effects of religious beliefs to the hindrance of our countrys progression and

development?
2. Since the Filipino people have various beliefs and religions, how does the government

arrive to effective solutions for our economic problems?

Objectives:

To discover the effects of religious beliefs as hindrance to our country's progression

and development
To gather information about other decisions being made by the government with the

factor of religion in conflict with having a resolution

Hypothesis:

Alternative: The Philippine government enforces laws and bills for the benefit of the

citizens. These are well thought by the government before passing and implementation. We know
that Filipinos are very religious. Having diverse religions of the citizens make it a hard time for

the government to pass laws due to the consideration of every religions beliefs.

Null: The government does not have to think of every religious belief of the citizens

because the Filipinos love their country more than their religion. The Filipinos know that the

government is implementing these for the betterment and the development of the country and not

only for selfish purposes of ones religion.

Detailed Outline

Giving judgement for a particular adjudications is inevitable with one's daily lives.

Religion has been a huge contributing factors on the decision making of one person. It affects his

or her persepectives, points of views and opinions on the issues the country is involved with. In

the Philippines, religion is one of the top priorities and highest regards of each individual. This

research is to show the other decisions being made with the factor of religion being in conflict

with it and to present the different factors of each religion that may contribute to a conflict of

interest for which decision making is necessary.

This study investigates and compares the economic implications of decision-making

depending on religion. It will also conceptually explain the significance of such religion on

decision-making of the people and what are their effects to the progress and development of the

country. This paper will address the following research problems: 1) What are the effects of

religious beliefs to the hindrance of our countrys progression and development? And 2) Since

the Filipino people have various beliefs and religions, how does the government arrive to

effective solutions for our economic problems?


The researchers has also formulated hypothesis on the results or expected outcome of the

study. The alternative hypothesis of the study is that the Philippine government takes into

consideration the beliefs of each religion in the country. Given that the Filipinos have diverse

religions, the progress and development for the country will be difficult to achieve due to the

understanding and addressing each religion's needs. The null hypothesis of the study is that the

government does not have to think of every religious belief of the citizens because the Filipinos

love their country more than their religion. The Filipinos know that the government is

implementing these for the betterment and the development of the country and not only for

selfish purposes of ones religion.

The Review of Related Literature section of this paper specified related topics and

literatures. This chapter was framed into 3 main topics with their subtopics: First main topic is

Religions existing in the Philippines. Philippines is a country that was colonised by the

Spaniards, whose primary goal was to spread their religion, Catholicism which is the majority

religion of the Philippine population. Muslims are only 5% of the population and they are the

most significant minority which concentrated mostly on Visayas and Mindanao. The Evangelical

or the Protestants are introduced by the Americans during their conlonization to our country. It is

not as significant as the first two aforementioned. The Iglesia ni Kristo is a religion born in the

Philippine islands and has spread throughout since its establishment. Second main topic is the

Political Issues regarding the religions in our country. With 80 percent Catholics in the country's

population, it is justifiable that some laws of the Philippine government need full approval from

the Catholic Church despite the fact that the Church should be distinct from the Stateand the

State from the Church. The secularization in the Philippines states that the separation of the

Church and the State shall be inviolable. But with the disjunction of the two parties, arguments
have risen. The Church follows the Bible sayings, teachings and judgements towards life while

the State base their arguments through gathered facts and information that will adhere to the

needs of its people. The RH Bill has been the most controversial issue the Philippines had faced.

With the increasing number of birth giving rare, fertility rate and abortion, it is rightful for the

government to take action to avoid future problems. This is the main reason for the

implementation of such bill. The RH bill was and is still being met by myriad criticism, mostly

coming from religious groups. The Muslim group has been deprived of their rights which caused

them to be furious to let their voices be heard. They have also been percieved with bad images

such as terrorists. According to Nasser Marohomsalic, the Bangsa Moro community has

addressed these problems to the government but they seem to be unwilling up until now, to give

them their right to self-determination. The different religions have also caused to have

unimportant holidays that cause slow improvement to the country. Lastly, the Economic issues in

the Philippines. The demands of each individual showing how materialistic each generation has

been getting, the authority and ownership shown through their power in the economy.

Philippines is still improving as an economically asserted country. Corruption continues to be a

serious cause for concern, jeopardizing prospects for long-term economic development. Stability

and growth for the economy is what makes financial freedom a better living standard for our

world today. With that being said, for the growth of the economy alone, it is important for each

individual to start with oneself.

The researchers therefore conclude the following: First, the Philippines is a country with

numerous religions that at times can indirectly cause for the slacking of the countrys economy.

Second, the government being declared as secular by the 1987 constitution, the Church continues

on having a say with regards to the governments choices. The RH Bill is a prime example of the
Church continuing its criticism towards the government. Third, the Muslim religion in the

Philippines may only be 5% but it is quite dominant. The Muslims of Mindanao are currently

having disputes with the government for power in their own land. Lastly, the researchers

therefore conclude that religion has an effect to the economy and decision making of the

Philippine government.

Review of Related Literature:

Religion in the Philippines

It is said in history that the Philippines was a country colonized by the Spaniards. The

Spanish colonization paved to infrastructure and modernization, but the main goal of the Spanish

was to spread their religion. More than 400 years later, the religion influenced by the Spaniards

still lives among the Filipinos. The total population of the Philippines is 107,668,231. Out of all

these Filipinos, 82.9% are known to be Catholic, 5% Muslim, 2.8% Evangelical, 2.3 % Iglesia ni

Kristo, 4.5% other Christian, and 2.5% other/unspecified (indexmundi, 2014).

Catholic

Given that the majority of the Philippine population consists of Catholics, the Filipinos

have fiestas that show their extreme devotion to the religion. An example is the Black Nazarene

procession. Thousands of Filipinos parade through the streets following a life sized statue of the

Black Nazarene. The people will try to touch the statue and upon touching it a miracle might

happen to them. Virtually every town will have a fiesta related to the religion. Many holidays

also are declared for this religion, like Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Holy Week.

Muslim
This religion is concentrated mostly on Visayas and Mindanao. Although they are only

5% of the population, they are the most significant minority. Many rebellion groups have

emanated from their religion due to land claims and other disputes. There have bee various peace

agreements signed but the issue continues on with a new rebel group forming every now and

then. Their main claim is to establish Mindanao as a separate state and government from the rest

of the Philippines. The Islam religion also has their fair share of holidays like Eid Ul Adha, and

Eid Ul Fitr; but not as many as the Catholic holidays.

Evangelical

The Evangelical is also known as the Protestants. Introduced in the country by the

Americans during the American colonization. This religion is not as significant as the first two

aforementioned. No issues political or economical have risen from this religion; which is a good

thing.

Iglesia ni Kristo

The Iglesia ni Kristo(INC) religion was founded by Felix Manalo. Proudly, its a religion

born in the Philippine islands and has spread throughout since its establishment. Recently, INC

had their centennial celebration, and built a large arena in Bulacan. They named it the Philippine

Arena, and it is the largest indoor domed arena in the world with a capacity of 55,000 people.

(Encarnacion, 2014). It was built for the purpose of worship for the member of INC but it can

also be used by other religions. It can also be used for concerts. The INC is present in

economical progress.
Having different religions in a country that puts much importance to it,

misunderstandings may arise that the rest must accommodate to so that we can have peace.

However, it is not always economically beneficial to accommodate to every religion. There

should be a distinct division to what is favorable for the economy and what is a persons

religious belief is.

Political issues

Philippines is the third country in the world with the largest number of Catholics. With 80

percent Catholics in the country's population, it is justifiable that some laws of the Philippine

government need full approval from the Catholic Church despite the fact that the Church should

be distinct from the Stateand the State from the Church. There had been political issues that

resulted between the two opposing bodies. Not only with the Roman Catholic, but also with

other religions existing in the Philippines, it is inevitable that one's faith would affect an

economic and political decision in the country.

Secularization

The 1987 Constitution, Art II Section 6 states that "The Separation of Church and State

shall be inviolable." It is the right of every Filipino citizen to choose which religion he shall

believe in. With the disjunction of the State and the Church, different arguments have arisen,

such as the following: One, while each and every individual is a citizen of a State, not all

citizens are members of a Church. Two, while the basic interest of the State is in the realm of the

temporal order, the fundamental concern of the Church is in the spiritual domain. Three, and
while the State has and follows a political structure, the Church subscribes to and acts in the

ecclesiastical order.

But the mantra of Separation of Church and State in no way means that the Church

should be silent and stay still about the faith She professes and/or about the morals She spouses.

Peopleeven the so-called Catholicsmay not listen to Her. This is their option, their

responsibility, their accountability (Abp. Oscar. V. Cruz)

RH Bill

Seen as one of the most controversial measures handled by legislators, the Reproductive

Health Bill had languished for 13 years in Congress before it was passed by both the Senate and

the House of Representatives last December 2012. RA 10354 will provide its beneficiaries, as

determined by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) of

the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), with universal access to

medically safe, non-abortifacient, effective, legal, affordable and quality reproductive health care

services, methods, devices, supplies which do not prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum.

The RH bill was and is still being met by myriad criticism, mostly coming from religious

groups. It is the primary solution of the Philippine government to the increasing population,

fertility rate and most especially abortion among Filipinos. The Department of Health have a

hand in campaigns meant to raise public awareness on reproductive health (Boncocan, 2012).

Muslim Religion

5 percent of the Philippines's population consists of the people from Muslim religion. A

lack of understanding of the 'Bangsa Moro' (Moro or Muslim religion) by majority of 92 million
Filipinos and, a lack of priority and support by the national government has complicated the

relationship with them. Muslim people were deprived of their rights and that has caused them to

be furious to let their voices be heard. People of other religions misunderstood them for they

have implied an image as terrorists or as bad people. Discrimination is even widely spread. Our

country's government has toned down the issue when in fact, it is in dire need of

accommodation.

According to Nasser Marohomsalic, the Bangsa Moro community has addressed these

problems to the government but they seem to be unwilling up until now, to give them their right

to self-determination. The Muslim people wants to have their own government since their

concerns are not heard. They even have a perception to have war in order for them to be taken

into consideration (Son, 2009).

Holidays

With 17 public holidays this year, the businesses are forced to be put into a halt.

But that is still not taking into account the declared holidays like the Papal visit. Too much

declared holidays are inessential for the countrys improvement; Some are necessary, some are

not. Independence day is surely a justifiable holiday, but Chinese New Year isnt. There may be

Chinese who live in the country, however it is unnecessary because they are living in the

Philippines and they should compromise with the countrys own beliefs.

The government declared these holidays to compromise to the beliefs of the people but it

should be the people compromising with the government. The governments main focus is to

develop the economy and this is one of the causes for slow improvement.
Economic Issues

In the world today, economic issues are at its peak. What makes it so significant in the

world today? Probably it would be because of the demands of each individual showing how

materialistic each generation has been getting, the authority and ownership shown through their

power in the economy. Even countries take pride on the increase of each of their economies.

Now, economy in the Philippines is quite low compared to the other counties; may we compare

the Philippines alone with the other ASEAN countries, though I can say that we are still

improving as an economically asserted country.

The Philippines economic freedom score is 62.2, making its economy the 76th freest in

the 2015 Index. Its score has increased by 2.1 points since last year, with notable improvements

in financial freedom, freedom from corruption, and labor freedom outweighing declines in

business freedom and the management of public spending. The Philippines ranks 13th out of 42

countries in the AsiaPacific region, and its overall score is above the world and regional

averages.

Corruption

Registering one of the 10 best score improvements in the 2015 Index, the Philippines has

charted an upward trajectory of economic freedom for the past five years, further advancing into

the moderately free category. Wide-ranging reforms to address structural weaknesses and

improve overall economic competitiveness have put greater emphasis on improving regulatory

efficiency, enhancing regional competitiveness, and liberalizing the banking sector.

Demonstrating a high level of resilience and overcoming the devastating impact of the massive
typhoon that ripped through the central part of the country, the Philippine economy has recorded

an average growth rate exceeding 5 percent over the past half-decade.

Despite notable progress since 2011, however, lingering institutional challenges will

require a deeper commitment to reform. Corruption continues to be a serious cause for concern,

jeopardizing prospects for long-term economic development. The inefficient judiciary, which

remains susceptible to political interference, does not provide effective protection for property

rights or strong and transparent enforcement of the law.

Financial Freedom

This is when an individual wouldnt have to worry of how to get mean of finance. And

having an increased rate of financial freedom in the Philippines that less people are currently

starving and/ or having a hard time to put the food on the table. Stability and growth for the

economy is what makes financial freedom a better living standard for our world today.

With that being said, for the growth of the economy alone. It is important for each

individual to start with oneself. Corruption being one of the biggest factors to the slow growth

and improvement of the economy. When one decides to stop corruption or go against corruption,

leaders themselves, those who are willed with power should learn that creating an awareness and

consideration that with stopping corruption, this could be the key to a better economic growth

and may benefit themselves in the long run.


Conclusion

Based on the hypotheses formulated by the researchers, the following conclusions are listed:

1. The Philippines is a country with numerous religions that at times can indirectly cause for

the slacking of the countrys economy. As a country respecting each religion, it is needed

to declare multiple holidays every year. This will effect to less work hours and less

efficiency for the countrys production and economy.


2. Despite the government being declared as secular by the 1987 constitution, the Church

continues on having a say with regards to the governments choices. The RH Bill is a

prime example of the Church continuing its criticism towards the government. With the

majority of the countrys population consisting of Roman Catholics, many follow the

teachings of the church. However, the passing of the RH Bill was very necessary due to

the rapid increase in population over the years. It is something that will surely help the

country with population control but a religion opposes thus showing its direct effect on

the government in deciding whether to pass the bill or not.


3. The Muslim religion in the Philippines may only be 5% but it is quite dominant. The

Muslims of Mindanao are currently having disputes with the government for power in

their own land. They want to have their own government since their concerns are not
heard. Civil war is an option for these people, and obviously war will have a negative

effect on economy. The government will continue to look for a way to keep the peace.
4. Based on the research and conclusions done, the researchers therefore conclude that

religion has an effect to the economy and decision making of the Philippine government.

WORKS CITED

Abp. Oscar. V. Cruz, D. (n.d.). From CBCP News: http://www.cbcpnews.com/cbcpnews/?


p=3677

Boncocan, K. (2012 28-December). Inquirer.net. From


http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/331395/gonzales-aquino-signed-rh-bill-into-law

Encarnacion, F. (2014). INFOGRAPHIC: The Philippine Arena vs. world stadiums.


Retrieved from ABS-CBN News: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/24/14/infographics-
philippine-arena-vs-world-stadiums

indexmundi. (2014). Philippines Demographics Profile 2014 . Retrieved from


IndexMundi - Country Facts:
http://www.indexmundi.com/philippines/demographics_profile.html

Son, J. (2009 2-October). From Inter Press Service News Agency:


http://www.ipsnews.net/2009/10/philippines-muslim-unrest-lsquoa-political-problem-in-
religious-garbrsquo/

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